Articles: Industry News

Signicast, a Form Technologies company, will celebrate the opening of its latest investment casting facility in October. Milwaukee Finishing Complex (MFC) will round out the family of Signicast locations in the Milwaukee area, expanding secondary operations and other finishing services while acting as an extension of the Hartford and Brown Deer facilities.

McWane Ductile Ohio––part of the McWane, Inc. family of companies––has announced a $45 million total investment in its Coshocton County plant. Its investment has more than doubled since the initial $21.5-million collaboration was finalized with JobsOhio, the Ohio Department of Development, Ohio Southeast Economic Development (OhioSE) and the Coshocton County Port Authority, including a 1.372%, six-year Job Creation Tax Credit from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority. 

Shinhwa Auto USA Corp. is adding a second auto parts manufacturing facility in Auburn, Alabama, as part of a $78 million growth project that will create 42 jobs over the next three years. The company will build a new 400,000-sq.-ft. factory across from its existing location in Auburn Technology Park West. 

The Lawton Standard Co. has recently added Northern Iron & Machine (NIM) located in St. Paul, Minn., to the Lawton Standard family as part of its expansion strategy. NIM produces and machines high-quality gray, ductile, and austempered iron castings up to 250 lbs. This adds to The Lawton Standard Co.’s offerings by both size and method. This will benefit both Lawton and NIM customers with expanded sourcing options.

On July 29, TRM Equity II, a Michigan-based private equity fund, acquired all of the equity of AFS Corporate Member WDC Acquisition LLC, known as Wellman Dynamics (Wellman), which is located in Creston, Iowa, and employs about 350 people. The 100-year-old aerospace supplier manufactures large scale, complex magnesium and aluminum castings for the defense and commercial aerospace markets. 

AFS Corporate Member Buck Co. Inc., in conjunction with its parent company, The Dixon Group, has acquired Richmond Foundry, LLC, a 50-year-old AFS Corporate Member in Dayton, New Jersey, that produces high-quality brass and bronze sand castings. Richmond’s 40,000-sq.-ft. facility adds capacity and capabilities that will benefit both companies’ customers.  

This spring, Bob Swenson, former owner of AmeriTi Manufacturing, launched a new company in Detroit, TriTech Titanium Parts, which, he said, produces net shape titanium parts using the most appropriate technology for the part and the customer––and is backed with a fully domestic supply chain. 

TriTech’s array of three production technologies includes 3D binder jet printing, metal injection molding, and investment casting. The 3D printing is its latest addition, featuring a binder jet process for producing complex titanium parts. 

Potentia Manufacturing Group has purchased New England Foundry, LLC, formerly the Anbar division of Edson International. Located in Taunton, Massachusetts, New England Foundry—which specializes in sand casting of aluminum, brass, and bronze chiefly for the marine market, as well as aerospace and industrial markets—continues to manufacture its products in its updated Taunton facility.

The Brynavon Group Inc., a third-generation family firm based in Pennsylvania, has acquired Effort Foundry Inc. (Bath, Pennsylvania).
Effort Foundry has been in business since 1971 and produces castings for pumps, valves, power generation, and general industrial applications in a wide variety of alloys, including steel, stainless steel, nickel-based alloys, ductile iron, and gray iron.

Druid Capital Partners and Elyton Capital have bought AFS Corporate Member Franklin Iron Works, Inc. (FIW) and Alabama Castings, LLC––collectively known as “Franklin Iron.” 

According to reporting by bizjournals.com, new ownership plans to retain all 145 Franklin Iron employees. A Druid Capital spokesperson told the BBJ that FIW is hiring for select positions at both of its locations in Thorsby and Aliceville, Alabama.